EPL: Wenger makes return to Arsenal

Former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, was in attendance as they beat West Ham 3-1 on Boxing Day.

The victory took the Gunners seven points clear of second-placed Newcastle.

Wenger was up on his feet as early as the fourth minute when Saka thumped the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle.

But the Gunners were forced to cut their celebrations short as the ball flicked Nketiah, who was in an offside position, on the way through to Saka.

Wenger would have been pleased with what he saw, however, as the Gunners dominated the early stages. Martin Odegaard was inches away from playing Granit Xhaka in on goal, while moments later, the Switzerland international’s low shot was well held by Lukasz Fabianski.

But for all Arsenal’s dominance, it was West Ham who took the lead. Moyes’ side had threatened on a couple of previous occasions on the counter-attack, and they made one count as Bowen forced Saliba into a desperate lunge just inside the penalty area.

The Frenchman made contact with Bowen, who tried to stay on his feet before eventually going to ground, and referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot. After a VAR check, Benrahma made no mistake to score only West Ham’s fourth away goal of the season.

As they have done already this season on a number of occasions, the home fans tried to galvanise their team, and Arsenal thought they had a way back into the game deep into first-half stoppage time. Odegaard’s shot was blocked with what referee Michael Oliver thought was Cresswell’s arm and he pointed to the penalty spot.

However, after being sent to the pitch side monitor by VAR, Oliver changed his decision after seeing the ball clearly come off Creswell’s head, leaving West Ham going into the break ahead.

A turnaround

A big half-time team talk was needed from Arteta, and he got the response he wanted from his side early in the second half, albeit with a stroke of fortune.

Odegaard’s wayward long-range effort landed beautifully at the feet of Saka, who controlled it perfectly before stroking a cool finish into the bottom corner.

The Emirates was rocking again, and the smile was firmly back on Wenger’s face as the Gunners produced a move reminiscent of the Frenchman’s best years in charge of the north London club. They worked the ball quickly to Martinelli, who fired a brilliant low finish past Fabianski at his near post to complete a stunning turnaround.

The points were made safe when Odegaard’s pass picked out Nketiah, and the striker turned Thilo Kehrer brilliantly before firing an emphatic finish into the bottom corner to complete a brilliant night for Arsenal, Arteta and the Gunners’ returning boss.